


Many a Splendid Year

by jadelennox



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5370224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadelennox/pseuds/jadelennox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Tell me about him," repeated Ashildr. Her voice was firm and confident as ever, but Clara knew her tells. The refusal to make eye contact, even in the dark, that was one of them. The lack of physical contact -- Ashildr liked to say it was reassuring to listen to Clara's heart not beating -- that was another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Many a Splendid Year

"Tell me about him," said Ashildr.

Clara started out of that dozing space right before sleep. "About the Doctor? There's nothing to tell that you don't know yourself."

"No, about the other man. You dream about him sometimes." Clara rolled over and squinted in the darkness, but Ashildr was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling above. "I think he's the man from your mobile wallpaper."

 _Oh._ Clara couldn't stop the hicuppy breath from escaping. "Yeah. Danny. That's... that's Danny Pink."

"Tell me about him," repeated Ashildr. Her voice was firm and confident as ever, but Clara knew her tells. The refusal to make eye contact, even in the dark, that was one of them. The lack of physical contact -- Ashildr liked to say it was reassuring to listen to Clara's heart not beating -- that was another.

"I loved him, if that's what you're asking. I might have married him."

"Would you have left the Doctor for him?"

Clara huffed in annoyance. "You know that's the wrong question. If one of them had tried to make me choose, I'd certainly have chosen the other. And Danny was much less likely to try to make me choose." 

Ashildr smiled, a tiny twisted thing in the dark. "I don't know anything about your Danny Pink, but he's unlikely to have been as much of a controlling prick as the Doctor."

The laugh caught on the lump in Clara's throat and came out sounding hoarse. "Completely true. You should have seen him with Danny. He was a complete tit to him, kept calling him stupid. Said it was just because he disliked soldiers."

At that, Ashildr rolled over on her side to look at Clara, her eyes huge. "He _didn't_!"

"Oh, trust me, he did."

"That massive _hypocrite_." Ashildr's own rare laugh was a beautiful thing; she could never stop herself from snorting a little in a way Clara found completely gorgeous.

"I know!" Clara said, as she tangled her fingers with Ashildr's warmer ones. 

Ashildr squeezed back. "So your Danny Pink was a soldier?"

"Had been. He was a maths teacher by the time I knew him. So good with the kids."

Ashildr's smile turned a little sly. "Going by the photo on your mobile, he was nicely fit, too."

Clara groaned. "You can't imagine. No man should be allowed to be that pretty. His face, his smile--"

"His everything else?" 

"Oi, you!" laughed Clara, rolling over and kissing Ashildr right in the middle of her filthy over-the-top leer. "That's my lost love you're mentally ogling."

Ashildr nipped at Clara's lower lip. "It's just I know how splendid your taste is."

"Except for my inexplicable affection for the Doctor."

"Except for that."

Clara rested her face against the warmth of Ashildr's, feeling gentle fingers brush the dampness from her cheeks.

"Tell me about him," said Ashildr, and so Clara did.


End file.
